Russia has sent a chilling threat to the UK as Moscow rages at Britain for allowing UK-manufactured drones to strike deep into the country. A statement from the Russian Embassy shared with news agency TASS accused Britain of trying to escalate the war with the long-range drone strikes.

It said: “Reports of the Kyiv regime’s use of British drones to strike deep into Russian territory confirm that London is deliberately betting on an escalation of the Ukrainian crisis while hypocritically declaring a desire for peace.” It warned of retaliation against Britain for supporting Ukraine in what it believes are crimes against Russia.

The embassy added: “The United Kingdom is thus acting as an accomplice and accessory to the bloody crimes and terrorist attacks of Ukrainian neo-Nazis in order to contain our country and inflict maximum damage on it through proxy means.

“These actions by London will inevitably have consequences for which it will be held accountable. The deeper its involvement in the conflict and the greater its support for Kyiv’s terrorist machine, the higher the price will be.”

This comes as British-made drones are being utilising by Ukraine’s armed forces to hit targets in Russia for the first time in the four-year-long war.

In April, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) confirmed it would be supplying Kyiv with tens of thousands of drones, including long-range strike devices, in its biggest ever package.

A spokesperson said: “We are committed to providing the equipment Ukraine needs to defend itself against Putin’s illegal invasion.

“This includes over 150,000 drones this year, cutting-edge Stone Cloak devices that hinder Russian air defences and innovative low-cost cruise missiles.”

Since then, strikes are believed to have caused more than £35 billion in economic damage as they target military and industrial targets, the Sunday Times reports.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova previously said drones using UK components and configurations were used on attacks in the country, including on a fuel depot in the Rostov Region.

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